NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, September 25, 2026

Episode Date: September 26, 2026

States of emergency as powerful nor’easter bears down; Hawaii bracing for impact from Hurricane Nolo; Iran’s new proposal to re-open Strait of Hormuz; and more on tonight’s broadcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Breaking news tonight, the nor'easter closing in right now, triggering states of emergency across the northeast. Destructive waves slamming the east coast, floodwater, submerging streets. New evacuations in New Jersey late today, and this highway in North Carolina completely washed away. Plus, Major League Baseball games rescheduled and Ed Sheeran's outdoor concert canceled were tracking this monster storm. Also tonight, Hurricane Nolo taking aim at Hawaii's. coast, the dangerous storm set to unleash catastrophic floods following two other hurricanes just weeks ago. Ryan Chandler and his team are there.

This Justin is an Iran deal in the works. Our new reporting on what Iran is demanding in order to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in seven days. Flames shooting from a Delta plane mid-flight, what the airline is saying about the emergency on board. NBC News exclusive Bill Gates' AI warning, telling our, Kristen Welker, the superintelligence is powerful enough to possibly kill a billion people. New details on the deaths of two Ole Miss college students.

Police say the drug Kratom was found at each of the scenes, and now tonight the vape shop drug busts nearby. The Kratum confiscated. Is it all related? Courtroom attacked the grieving father-in-law of a murdered U.S. Army captain, lunging at the killer during sentencing. Manhole mystery solved. The first arrest after a string of sewer break-ins like these across New York City. So what they admit to now doing down below, Nightly News, starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas.

And good evening. We thank you for joining us on this Friday night. We want to begin with that dangerous and powerful Nor'easter flooding out streets right now along the East Coast and still intensifying. Taking aim at tens of millions from the Carolinas, all the, the way up to Maine. The storm already washing out streets in New Jersey where the governor has declared a state of emergency because of scenes like this. Neighborhoods there already underwater forcing people to trudge through, and this is before the storm really hits. Along the east coast, we saw huge waves crashing over sea walls. And look at this. You can see just how massive that storm is as it marches its way up the Atlantic. But we're also tracking Hurricane

Nolo in the Pacific. That storm also gaining strength. It may not make a direct, direct hit on Hawaii, but the impacts could still be catastrophic, just weeks after Hurricane Lala hit the same region. We've got team coverage tonight, including the latest forecast, but we want to start with Sam Brock in the storm zone on the Jersey Shore. Tonight, a nasty Northeaster churning off the coast and already unleashing fury on some coastal communities like North Wildwood, New Jersey. The weather is going to be crazy. It always is for a Northeaster. A huge chunk of the East Coast, hoping to avoid scenes like these. Streets underwater all along the Jersey shore.

Residents lugging bikes through the floodwaters and trudging through with bags and belongings. And a voluntary evacuation issued for a part of Maniswad. It's the first time we've done this in a long time. This is something we want everyone to pay attention to and take seriously. On the south shore of Massachusetts, homes under assault. The high tide sprang high into the air. And this stretch of Highway 12 on North Carolina's outer banks,

washing away. Heading into the dangerous overnight hours, more than 30 million people are under flood alerts, with New York and New Jersey, both declaring states of emergency. New Yorkers, a Nor'easter arrives today. Don't travel if you don't have to. Deteriorating conditions, leading to widespread cancellations, including Ed Sheeran's weekend performances at Gillette Stadium outside Boston and the Global Citizen Festival in New York's Central Park. The worry, not just about the conditions of the roads, but also keeping the lights on, cruising. in Massachusetts trimming trees away from utility lines. Trees are actually the number one cause of power outage during storm events.

With outages, flooding, and high winds all expected overnight. The worst is yet to come. With that, Sam Brock joins us now live from the Jersey Shore. And Sam, we can see the waves crashing there, and we already see those streets flooded next to you. And there's more flooding to come, Tom. The ocean right now, violent and roaring. Look at these waves. Every few minutes periodically.

they are clearing the sea wall that I'm standing on top of. This is 10 feet high and spilling over onto the street next to me. And high tide Tom has not yet come. Back to you. Sam Brock, where those waves are growing as we report, let's get right over to Bill Cairns. Bill, you're saying this nor'easter's intensifying. We just saw that there with Sam. Time out the weekend for us.

Yeah, so let's start with what's happening now. We're already starting to see the impacts in areas of southeast mass, but winds are already gusting 40 to 50 miles per hour. The heavy rain is moving in, and that's only going to get worse, as we go throughout the night. These are the peak wind gusts we're expecting, and these have increased a little bit. Areas like Long Island, 50 to 60 mile per hour gusts, the Jersey Shore, same for you up to 55. Areas on southern mass could get up to 60. And because of these higher winds and the heavy rain, the power outage map is getting worse. We're expecting now scattered power

outages, all areas from New York City through Long Island, all of southern New England and along the Jersey shore. Rainfall totals could be one to three inches. Isolated totals could get up to six inches. here's the timing of it. And this is the wild part with this storm. It's such a long duration event. We need to put any pause points on this. This is Monday morning with it still sitting over Long Island. All right. People got to be real careful this weekend. Bill, we thank you next to that other major threat, Hurricane Nolo. You see it there. It's a strong category two hurricane approaching Hawaii. It's expected to turn sharply and stay south of the island chain in the days ahead, but still bring a big impact. And parts of the big island are still reeling from Hurricane Lala just weeks. ago are Ryan Chandler is on the ground there tonight.

Tonight, Hawaii bracing as NOLO approaches the state, the latest in a series of storms this hurricane season. Across the big island, residents fear rainfall that could total more than two feet in some areas, threatening mudslides and catastrophic flooding. In Na Alehu, we found a close community still in shock from Hurricane Lala. I've seen storms come through here before like that, but never like this, honestly. This is the first, like, whoa, what happened? The August hurricane damaged more than 100 buildings,

stranding some without power and water behind washed out roads. This morning, the rain was constant in the mountains as we traveled across the island to the south coast. A month after Hurricane Lala, the physical and emotional scars are still so apparent here in Na'lehu. You see the remnants of a mudslide that stranded trucks, downed entire trees, and washed away a cemetery from there, uphill. This building got completely flooded. Lala covered Mark Peters credit union in three feet of mud.

Many of his neighbors worried about what may be coming. And I just see it in their eyes. I hear it in their voices. We've been through a lot down here and we've still got a lot to go. And just over two weeks ago, Hurricane Lowell slammed Kauai. Wind gusts up to 85 miles per hour on the island. after months of devastating storms across the island chain. Tonight, Hawaiian's fearing it's not over yet. All right, Ryan Chandler joins us now live from Hawaii. And Ryan, after so much destruction, we hope the families there feel more prepared and have what they need as this next storm approaches. Well, Tom, the people here say they did learn lessons from Lala.

You see the boulders and the tarps in place to slow the kind of mudslides that rip this home from its foundation. This town has made quick progress restoring power and water, but the fear tonight, what more damage may come. We hope all that works. Thanks, Ryan. We have a potentially major development on Iran now offering a possible deal to reopen the street of Hormuz if the U.S. accepts its conditions. Gabe Guder is now with how the Trump administration is responding. Tonight, with the Iran war nearing its eighth month, a new offer on the table. Iran proposing a seven-day plan to reopen the street of Hormuz, where Iran, has been targeting oil tankers and driving up fuel prices. Iran's top diplomat now calling on the U.S. to respond. They can accept this seven-day plan, and at the end of which the strait will be open.

The proposal, similar to a ceasefire deal earlier this summer, that collapsed when Iran began attacking unarmed commercial ships in the strait. I will tell you this, Iran wants to make a deal so bad. Tonight, a U.S. official tells NBC News we are having positive. and constructive discussions through mediators. Adding the administration is not in a rush because the U.S. is in a very strong position with control of the strait, where nearly 40 million barrels of oil passed through

in the last 48 hours. Here in Washington, President Trump wrapping up his summit with China's leader Xi Jinping and saying they spoke about Iran. We did. We did. Do you think there will be progress from him? I think we're going to do great.

The two leaders and their spouses having tea at the White House and touring the National Archives to cap off a visit where the U.S. and China extended a trade truce by two months. Xi, saying he and President Trump had agreed to add new substance to their relationship. Though tonight, there are a few details of any substance following a state visit, heavy on symbolism. But we just did learn something, Gabe. I know you have some new reporting on what President Trump said the China's leader about Iran during their meeting. Well, Tom, the U.S. ambassador to China says Trump told Xi that any help China would give Iran, such as intelligence or military equipment, would be totally unacceptable. The two leaders, meanwhile, now plan to meet face-to-face twice before the end of the year, Tom.

Gabe, thank you. Now to an NBC News exclusive with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his dire warning tonight about AI when he sat down with Meet the press moderator, Kristen Welker. Do you believe AI is powerful enough to end all of humanity? AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that cause a billion deaths. So even though it's pretty hard to get to 100%, there's never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent. using the latest AI tools. Gates says he worries most about bad actors using AI for something like a cyber attack of bioterrorism. You can see much more of Kristen's interview with Bill Gates this Sunday on Meet the Press.

We are also following a major drug bus just minutes from Ole Miss. Days after two students there were found dead with Kratum at the scenes, the so-called gas station heroin drug nearby. Jesse Kirsch is the latest. Tonight, the major drug busts just minutes from Ole Miss. Days after two students were found dead with drugs nearby, narcotics agents raided this vape shop Thursday, where investigators say they seized more than 500 units of the drug, Kratum, as well as suspected narcotics.

Kratum, the so-called gas station drug, was found during the investigations of both deceased students. Why, it's possible OD. They do not believe the subject's breathing, trying to start CPR or the phone. University officials now identifying the students as freshman Aidan Hamilton and junior Robert Straying. Officials have not declared their causes of death. Cratum, the herb with opioid-like effect, is often sold in gas stations, smoke shops, even some health food stores.

But it is illegal in Oxford. And Thursday, investigators cracked down. They all came inside and they were in there for hours. They closed down the whole place. Officials say two vape shop employees were arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute. Investigators say the shop's owner was already indicted in 2022 for trafficking narcotics, but fled the country before he could be prosecuted. And tonight, those two shop employees remain behind bars. It's not clear if a court date has been set yet. Tom. Jesse Kirsch for us,

when we're back in just 60 seconds here on nightly news, the mystery of the men crawling out of sewers in Manhattan possibly solved now to arrest in the case and why the suspects say they were down there in the first place. Plus, the flames shooting out of this Delta engine looking closely, forcing an emergency landing just after takeoff. And this courtroom attack, a grieving man lunging at his son-in-law's killer, will explain what happened here. We're back down with the first arrest in those manhole mysteries in New York City, videos of

people going in and out of sewers that have gone viral, and now two suspects are charged, and we now know what they were doing down there. Valerie Castle reports. Tonight, the New York City mystery of men emerging from sewers may partially be solved. Months after videos like these started going viral, showing people wearing headlamps and waiters coming and going from manholes across the city. It sounds very nefarious. The NYPD and Manhattan DA now announcing the first arrests of two men.

After they say security video captured suspects early Wednesday morning on Manhattan's Upper East Side during heightened security. This incident raising a large. the men allegedly seemed crawling out of this manhole close to where dignitaries were staying for the UN General Assembly. Though authorities now believe this wasn't related to that event. Court documents say Samuel Reverein and Kevin Rodriguez admitted to entering the manhole looking for valuables that get washed away in the storm drains and sewers. This is a troubling trend. These individuals are on a scavenger hunt. They're looking for metals such as gold, silver, and platinum that may have been discarded.

in the sewage system. Both men charged with trespassing. An attorney for Reveron telling NBC News this seems like not much of a case. Rodriguez's attorney declined to comment. The incident similar to other recent ones. These men spotted in Midtown back in August. This group captured entering a sewer in Queens back in May. And just today, a witness reporting to police three people exiting this Brooklyn manhole. Investigators now looking for more answers just below the surface. Valerie Castro, NBC News. Okay, we're back in a moment with courtroom chaos, a grieving man, lunging at his son-in-law's killer during his sentencing.

The attack caught on camera next. We're back now with a Delta flight forced to make an emergency landing after flames were seen shooting from one of its engines. You can see it here. Flames flashing shortly after it took off in Barcelona. The airlines saying the flight made a safe landing, and passengers would be rebooked on flights tomorrow. The flight was headed to Atlanta.

Also tonight, this explosive moment in an Arizona courtroom, a grieving man lunging at his son-in-law's killer as he was being sentenced for murder. The father-in-law had asked the judge to give the man the maximum sentence for killing his son-in-law, U.S. Army Captain David Navid Kara. You see him hitting the convicted murder before being pulled away. He's now facing multiple charges. The killer was sentenced to life in prison. That's nightly news for this Friday.

I'm Tom Yamas. We thank you so much for watching. Tonight and always we're here for you. Good night.